Topic: How to prune a thornless blackberry

[carosanto]

Hi Everyone,

Last year I planted a thornless blackberry and it has gone berserk.  Lots of fruit, tho you have to catch 'em just right or they drop off.  However, how will I prune it, and also can I stop it reverting back to a thorny variety.  Any help would be really appreciated.

Carosanto

[shirlton]

I grow mine one way the one year and train the new growth the opposite way. After it has fruited I cut all the canes out that have borne fruit this year. If you do this then you don't get muddled up wit this years and last years growth. We grow blackberries  loganberries and tay berries this way.

[bluecar]

Hello Carosanto.

I'm in exactly the same position having planted a thornless blackberry last year. This year's growth is unbelievable with side shoots coming off of the main shoots. It's too late to apply Shirlton's excellent suggestion, so I'm guessing that I should trim off the side shoots from the new stems and ensure I know the new stems by perhaps just tying a bit of string on them.

I think once a thornless blackberry always a thornless blackberry. However I'm not 100% on this.

Regards

Bluecar

[strawberry1]

I have two loch ness and they are against wires stretched between supports. I cut all the fruited stems off in autumn and I tie the new growth in up and down patterns on each side of the root. I leave the top wire free and I gradually end up tying new growth along the top wire. Then in autumn I undo them and tie in the wave pattern. Mine are going berserk as well and we are going to be putting three extra posts in plus more wires on each side. They are absolutely fabulous fruiting plants

[Debs]

I too have a thornless blackberry which is fruiting extremely well this year.

Propagation by layering stems ( peg down into soil) is an easy way of increasing stock of this plant

Debs